Professor of International Law
Tohoku University
Kentaro NISHIMOTO is Professor of International Law at the School of Law, Tohoku University and Arctic Environment Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan. At Tohoku University, he is the vice-director of the Center for International Law and Policy and is currently in charge of the English-taught LL.M. program on the law of the sea. He received his Ph.D. in Law from the University of Tokyo with the thesis “Territoriality and Functionality in the Historical Evolution of the Law of the Sea.” His research has focused on the international law of the sea, including issues such as the history of the law of the sea, sustainable development of ocean resources, and the settlement of maritime disputes. His ongoing research projects especially focus on the BBNJ Agreement, legal aspects of Arctic ocean governance, and the revision of the International Health Regulations. His recent publications include a co-edited book on marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) in Japanese (Shigeki Sakamoto, Kimio Yakushiji, Toshiya Ueki and Kentaro Nishimoto (eds.), New Developments in the Law of the Sea on Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (Yushindo, 2021)) and a chapter on Japan and the Polar Region in The Routledge Handbook of Polar Law (Routledge, forthcoming). He has advised the government of Japan in various capacities, including as an advisor to the Japanese delegation to the BBNJ PrepCom and BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference and as a member of the Advisory Board on the Extension of the Continental Shelf.